As we enter the season of reflection and generosity, we’re especially grateful for you - our ARHE members, partners, and friends who have made this year such a meaningful one for collegiate recovery. Your dedication has fueled new programs, strengthened communities, and expanded hope on campuses across the country and beyond. This December, we invite you to join our Giving Season campaign to help sustain and grow this work in the year ahead. Every contribution - of time, talent, or resources - helps ARHE continue advancing recovery-supportive campuses and supporting the students and professionals who make them possible. So far, our Giving Season fundraiser has raised just over $3,100 - with a goal of reaching $50,000 by the end of the year. We can reach this goal if every person who receives this newsletter donates $10-15. Your donation helps to ensure that ARHE can continue to advocate for collegiate recovery, support technical assistance, provide professional development throughout the year, and support students and families who are seeking education while entering or maintaining their recovery! If you're able to donate, please consider doing so today!
Understanding Kratom: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know Now A Critical Discussion Led by Jana Wu, LCSW, LADC, ICADC As kratom-related admissions surge nationwide, with Mountainside Treatment Center reporting a striking 169% increase this year alone, higher education professionals face an urgent need to understand this unregulated substance that's as accessible as gum or energy drinks at local gas stations and bodegas. Jana Wu, Director of Clinical Integration at Mountainside Treatment Center, is one of the nation's leading experts on kratom use disorder. Having studied the substance for years and led weekly virtual support groups for individuals struggling with kratom dependence, Jana brings unparalleled clinical insight to this emerging crisis on college campuses. This essential session will cover:
- What Kratom Really Is: Understanding the substance, its origins in Southeast Asia, and how its compounds, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), interact with opioid receptors to produce both stimulant and sedative effects
- The Accessibility Crisis: Why kratom's widespread availability in convenience stores, gas stations, and online retailers (with zero regulation) makes it a particularly concerning substance for college-aged populations
- The High and the Risk: What students experience when using kratom, and why many assume it's a "safe, natural alternative to opioids" when detoxing can be just as complex
- Rising Admission Trends: What Mountainside's increasing kratom detox admissions reveal about changing patterns of use, particularly the more severe withdrawal symptoms associated with 7-OH products
- Supporting Students in Crisis: Evidence-based approaches for supporting students struggling with kratom use disorder, including medication-assisted treatment options, behavioral interventions, and the unique challenges of addressing a substance many don't recognize as problematic
As Jana shared in her recent interview with iHeart Radio's Sonstein Sessions, kratom presents unique challenges because "people think, oh, they're not hard drugs... How come everyone else can use this and I can't. And there becomes a lot of shame in that." This session will equip you with the knowledge and tools to have informed, compassionate conversations with students before kratom use becomes a crisis. With limited clinical research and growing concerns from the FDA and CDC about kratom's unregulated status, this is time-sensitive information every recovery professional and student affairs administrator needs right now.
ARHE members have asked to bring back our Monthly Membership Meeting - and we’re excited to make it happen!
ARHE Monthly Membership Meetings will take place each month on the third Monday, at 12pm ET / 11am CT / 10am MT / 9am PT! Register today! These meetings will be a space for:
- Updates from ARHE — brief updates on current initiatives.
- Member feedback — your chance to share your voice and help shape ARHE’s work.
- Peer connection across regions — ask questions, share resources, and strengthen your network.
In case you missed it, ARHE's Executive Director, Kristina Canfield, was the keynote speaker at the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center (JCOC)'s Black & White Gala, celebrating JCOC’s 39th anniversary and shining a light on homelessness, hunger, and the power of recovery. At the gala, Kristina shared her own story of finding safety, housing, and hope through JCOC - and how that experience continues to ripple out through her work in collegiate recovery today. Read the full article and learn more about JCOC’s impact here: https://jcoc.org/2025/12/05/black-white-gala-unmasks-homelessness-and-hunger/
Join us for a virtual information session on the Georgetown M.S. in Addiction Policy and Practice on Monday, December 8th at 11 AM EST. Program Director Regina LaBelle will discuss how this unique degree contributes to building a thriving national policy workforce grounded in compassionate, evidence-based interventions. During the session, we'll also be joined by Thaddeus Weintzen '24, Peer Recovery Coach at MedStar Hospital. Register to attend now; we hope to see you there!
- Poster Presentations
- Lightning Talks (10-minutes)
- Breakout Sessions (60-minutes)
- Extended Breakout Sessions (90-minutes)
- Keynote Presentations (90-minutes)
- Pre-conference Workshops (120-minutes)
ARHE has re-launched the Biennial Collegiate Recovery Program Survey for 2025, which allows us to gather vital data to advocate for increased support across institutions, states/provinces, and at the federal level.
You can access the survey at the following link: https://collegiaterecovery.org/arhe-collegiate-recovery-program-survey/
The data we collect informs:
- ARHE’s national advocacy efforts at the federal level, when advocating for state / provincial expansion, and even with individual institutions
- Resource development, toolkits, and supportive materials
- Strategic planning and organizational priorities
- Training and technical assistance (TTA) initiatives
- Gaps in research which can be prioritized to further advance our understanding
- Public understanding of who CRPs serve and how they make a difference
Please consider filling out the survey as early as possible to add to the overall longitudinal data that informs what we do.
The Center for Young Adult Addiction and Recovery (CYAAR) at Kennesaw State University, Georgia (USA) started the Collegiate Recovery Research Collaborative (CRRC) in 2017. The Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE) is excited to now host the CRRC to allow researchers to connect, collaborate, and progress important research topics within the profession of collegiate recovery.
Currently, the CRRC meets once a month on the first Thursday of the month at 12pm ET / 11am CT / 10am MT / 9am PT. Project-specific meetings may take place outside of this time.
If you haven’t done so, be sure to check out the updated Getting Started Guide, published earlier this year! This refreshed resource is a great first stop for anyone interested in helping launch or strengthen collegiate recovery efforts on their campus. Whether you’re building support among administrators, looking for guidance on next steps, or simply exploring what a CRP could look like, this guide can help spark ideas and provide a roadmap forward. We hope it empowers you to advocate confidently and expand recovery supports so more students can access the community and care they deserve.
